The 2019 Cadillac CT6 Platinum showcases a more aggressive exterior appearance inspired by the Escala Concept and enhanced interior with updated technology and materials. (Cadillac/TNS)

DETROIT – Cadillac will unveil an all-new, 550-horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine in a V-Sport performance version of its CT6 luxury sedan at the New York auto show next week.

The 4.2-liter engine will be linked to a 10-speed automatic transmission and sport-tuned all-wheel-drive system. A 500-hp version will also be available.

Cadillac will also reveal its eagerly awaited XT4 compact luxury SUV in conjunction with the New York show.
The CT6 V-Sport will go on sale in the first half of 2019.
Development targets for the engine included high power and quiet operation to deliver the refinement and performance buyers expect in a top flight luxury sedan, chief engineer Jordan Lee said.

“There’s a different feel between a V6 and V8, even when they’re both very powerful,” IHS Markit senior analyst Stephanie Brinley said.

In addition to being Cadillac’s first twin-turbo V8, the engine has fuel-saving features including cylinder deactivation to run as a V4 under light load and stop-start to shut off when idling. GM developed the new V8 to compete with vehicles from other luxury brands’ high-performance lines, like Mercedes AMG and BMW M Sport.

“Having a high-output V8 is important for a luxury brand,” Brinley said. “It supports the brand’s image.
“It won’t be high volume, but it’ll be high profit.”

The 90-degree dual overhead cam V8 is a clean-sheet design, unrelated to GM’s other V8s. GM’s powertrain center in Pontiac developed it specifically for the CT6.

The 10-speed transmission will have steering wheel mounted paddle shifters and a new shift stick on the center console with a “park” button and the familiar straight-shift reverse-neutral-drive pattern.

The V8s will be hand-built at GM’s Bowling Green, Ky., facility, which also builds specialty high-output V8s for the Chevy Corvette and the Camaro ZL1. Each engine will have a nameplate signed by the person who built it.
The all-new V8 has been under development for about four years.

Information on the CT6 VSport’s price and fuel economy will be available closer to when it goes on sale in 2019.